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Red Rocking Chair/Red Apple Juice/Sugar Baby/Honey Baby/Ain’t Got No Honey Baby Now
Red Apple Juice: Painting by Richard L. Matteson Jr. C 2007
Old-time and Bluegrass Song; Widely known.
ARTIST: Grover Wilson of Council, VA; Scarborough, Song Catcher in the Southern Mountains
CATEGORY: Fiddle and Instrumental Tunes
DATE: 1909 From EC Perrow as "Done All I Can Do" (See Version 11) Early 1900's as "Red Apple Juice" (from Lunsford- Version 5). 1927 recording, Dock Boggs as “Sugar Baby” Version 1.
RECORDING INFO- Sugar Baby: Dock Boggs, "Sugar Baby" (Brunswick 118B, 1927); (on Boggs2, BoggsCD1, AAFM3); Uncle Earl. She Waits for Night, Rounder 0565-2, CD (2005), trk# 3; Wine, Melvin. Hannah at the Springhouse, Marimac AHS 2, Cas (1989), trk# 23 (Sugarbaby); Lomax, John A. & Alan Lomax / American Ballads and Folk Songs, MacMillan, Bk (1934), p.153; Duncan, Josh & Ethel Raim (eds) / Anthology of American Folk Music, Oak, Sof (1973), p 82; Lomax, John A. & Alan Lomax / Folk Song USA, Signet, Sof (1966/1947), # 34c; Baxter, Robert. Baxter, Robert / Baxter's Finger-Picking Manual, Amsco, sof (1965), p37; Boggs, Dock. Anthology of American Folk Music, Smithsonian/Folkways SFW 40090, CD( (1997), trk# 62 [1927/03/09]; Boggs, Dock. Dock Boggs, Vol 2, Folkways FA 2392, LP (1965), trk# 12; Boggs, Dock. Close to Home, Smithsonian/Folkways SF 40097, CD (1997), trk# 32 [1964/06/04]; Boggs, Dock. Old Time Herald, Old Time Herald, Ser, 6/5, p34(1998) [1927]; Boggs, Dock. Old Time Herald, Old Time Herald, Ser, 6/7, p35(1999) [1927] Boggs, Dock. Country Blues, Revenant 205, CD (1997), trk# 1 [1927/03/09]; Christian, John. Old-Time Banjo Anthology, Vol. 1, Marimac AHS 4, Cas (1991), trk# 22 [1989/06]; Diller, Dwight. Piney Woods, Diller YP-007, Cas (199?), trk# B.01; Gum, Dona. Old-Time Banjo Anthology, Vol. 1, Marimac AHS 4, Cas (1991), trk# 10 [1976/12]; Hammons, Burl. Hammons Family. A Study of a West Virginia Family's Traditions, Library of Congress AFS L65-L66, LP (1973), trk# 18 [1972/08/05] ; Hammons Family. Shaking Down the Acorns, Rounder 0018, LP (1973), trk# 4 [1970-72]; Kweskin, Jim. Jim Kweskin's America, Reprise 6464, LP (1971), trk# 2; Mainer, J. E. (Joseph Emmet). Legendary J. E. Mainer. Vol 5, Rural Rhythm RRJE 215, LP (197?), trk# B.04; Muller, Eric. Muller, Eric & Barbara Koehler / Frailing the 5-String Banjo, Mel Bay, Sof (1973), p52; Mullennex, Ron. Banjo Legacy, Augusta Heritage AHR 006, LP (1989), trk# B.01b; Proffitt, Frank. Memorial Album, Folk Legacy FSA-036, Cas (1968), trk# B.02 (Got No Sugar Baby Now); Renbourn, John. Another Monday, Transatlantic TRA 149, LP (1966), trk# 8; Seeger, Mike; and Alice Gerrard. Mike Seeger and Alice Gerrard, Greenhays GR 704, LP (1980), trk# 6; Sexton, Morgan. Shady Grove, June Appal JA 0066C, Cas (1992), trk# 16; Taussig, Harry. Taussig, Harry / Folk-Style Guitar, Oak, Sof (1973), p 41; Taussig, Harry. Taussig, Harry / Folk-Style Guitar, Oak, Sof (1973), p108;
RECORDING INFO- Honey Baby/I Ain’t Got No Honey/Sugar Baby Now: Frank Proffitt, "Got No Sugar Baby Now" (on FProffitt01); Bascom Lamar Lunsford, "Little Turtle Dove" (1928; on BLLunsford01; a composite of all sorts of floating verses, a few of which may be from here); Roscoe Holcomb, "Got No Honey Baby Now (Honey Babe Blues)" (on Holcomb2); New Lost City Ramblers, "Red Rocking Chair" (on NLCR03); Wilson, Grover. Scarborough, Dorothy / A Song Catcher in the Southern Mountains, AMS, Bk (1966/1937), p124 [1930]; Blevins, Frank; and His Tarheel Rattlers. It'll Never Happen Again. Old Time String Bands, Vol. 1, Marimac 9110, Cas (198?), trk# 10 [1927/11/08] (I've Got No Honey Baby Now); Cotten, Elizabeth. Folksongs and Instrumentals with Guitar, Folkways FG 3526, LP (1958), trk# 5; Rutherford, Enoch; and the Gold Hill Band. Old Cap'n Rabbit, Heritage (Galax) 080, Cas (1989), trk# 13 (Honey Baby); 5. Stefanini, Rafe. Hell and Scissors, County CD-2728, CD (1999), trk# 6 (I've Got No Honey Baby Now);
RECORDING INFO- Red Rocking Chair: Atwater-Donnelly. Where the Wild Birds Do Whistle, RIM 1005-2, CD (1997), trk# 4 ; Dobbs Brothers and Mary Faith Rhoads. Dobbs Brothers amd Mary Faith Rhoads, Fret'n Fiddle JRC 860, LP (1978), trk# B.02; Flat Mountain Girls. Honey Take Your Whiskers Off, Flat Mountain Flat S002, CD (2005), trk# 6; Gellert, Dan; and Shoofly. Forked Deer, Marimac 9000, Cas (1986), trk# B.03; High on the Hog. Last Chance, High Hog, CD (2003), trk# 6; Hotmud Family. Live, As We Know It, Flying Fish FF-087, LP (1979), trk# B.05; Ledford, Lilly May. Brandywine '83. The 10th Anniversary Celebration of the Brand..., Heritage (Galax) 054, LP (1984), trk# 2; MacKay, Karen. West Virginia Woman, West Virginia Woman, LP (1983), trk# 9 Monroe, Charlie; & the Kentucky Pardners. Early Rural String Bands, RCA (Victor) LPV-552, LP (1968), trk# 16 [1949/02/01]; Mother Bay State Entertainers. String Band Project, Elektra EKS 7292, LP (1965), trk# B.04; New Lost City Ramblers. New Lost City Ramblers, Vol. 3, Folkways FA 2398, LP (1961), trk# 8; New Lost City Ramblers. Cohen, John, Mike Seeger & Hally Wood / Old Time String Band Songbook, Oak, Sof (1976/1964), p 34 Reno, Don;, Bill Harrell and the Tenn. Cutups. Don Reno and Bill Harrell with the Tennesse Cutups, Rural Rhythm RR 171, LP (1967), trk# 4; Stecher, Jody; and Kate Brislin. Song That Will Linger, Rounder 0274-C, Cas (1989), trk# 1; Waller, Charlie. Silverman, Jerry (ed) / Flat-Pickers Guitar Guide, Oak, Sof (1963), p54;
RECORDING INFO- Red Apple Juice: 1. Leisy, James F. (ed.) / Hootenanny Tonight!, Gold Medal Books, sof (1964), p 98; Aronoff, Benji. Two Sides of Benji Aronoff, Prestige PR 7416, LP (1965), trk# A.05 3. McTell, Ralph. Streets of London, Kicking Mule KM 307, LP (1979), trk# B.01; Rosmini, Dick. 5-String Banjo Greats, Liberty LST 7357, LP (196?), trk# 8; Tottle, Jack. Tottle, Jack / How to Play Mandolin, Acorn Music Press, sof (1977), p29; Traum, Happy. Traum, Happy / Flat-Picker Country Guitar, Oak, Sof (1973), p 56; Wood, Hally. Sing Out! Reprints, Sing Out, Sof (196?), 3, p50
RELATED TO: cf. "Pay Day" (floating lyrics); cf. "Rain and Snow" (floating lyrics); cf. "Storms Are on the Ocean, The (False True Lover, The True Lover's Farewell, Red Rosy Bush, Turtle Dove)" (floating lyrics) Lost Lover Blues; Trouble/Troubles
OTHER NAMES: Red Rocking Chair; Red Apple Juice; Sugar Baby; Honey Baby; I Ain’t Got No Honey Baby Now;
SOURCES: Asch/Dunson/Raim, p. 82 "Sugar Baby" (1 text, 1 tune); Cohen/Seeger/Wood, p. 34, "Red Rocking Chair" (1 text, 1 tune); Silber-FSWB, p. 175, "Red Apple Juice" (1 text)
NOTES: Lyrics use: "I Ain’t got no sugar baby now...got no use for your red rocking chair...who'll rock the cradle, who'll sing the song...all I can do, fuss, eat, sleep with you/send you to your mama next payday."
This white blues is found throughout the Southeast and Appalachians. The confusion between the Sugar Babe/Crawdad Song and the Sugar Baby/Red Rocking Chair continues. The Folk Index on-line fails to differentiate and lumps the Sugar Babe/Sugar Baby songs together. Clearly Sugar Babe (Crawdad Song) and Sugar Baby (Red Rocking Chair) are two different songs. The problem is that some Red Rocking Chair songs are named Sugar Babe- such is life!
The origin of the Red Rocking Chair/Red Apple Juice/Sugar Baby songs I am referencing here may be traced back to Child No. 76 “The Lass of Roch Royal.” In Scottish Ballads by Robert Cambers 1829 p. 91 the forsaken Lass asks Love Gregory:
Oh who will shoe my bonny foot?
And who will glove my hand?
And who will lace my middle jimp
Wi’ a new made London band?
Compare to the US lyrics found in many “True Lovers Farewell” songs:
Oh, who will shoe your little feet
And who will glove your hand
And who will kiss your red rosy cheeks
When I'm in some far off land
Compare to Doc Boggs’ “Sugar Baby” on Brunswick 118 in 1927:
Who'll rock the cradle,
And who'll sing the song?
Who'll rock the cradle when I'm gone?
Who'll rock the cradle when I'm gone?
The question (posed originally by “The Lass of Roch Royal”) is answered:
I'll rock the cradle,
And I'll sing the song.
I'll rock the cradle when you’re gone,
I'll rock the cradle when you’re gone.
Red Rocking Chair and Red Apple Juice are listed in “The Fiddler’s Companion” with little info: Old Time. EDae tuning. The info is also scant in the Traditional Ballad index. Meade lists the song recorded by Boggs in 1927 under Sugar Baby. To make it easier to distigush I am going to categorize the songs under Red Apple Juice. I will also list them again by title.
Bogg's 1927 version features "Hub Mahaffey on guitar. John Boggs, Dock's oldest brother, taught him this and Dock kept his brother's tuning. The song is fairly common in the Southern mountains and may derive from the old ballad, The Lass-of Roch Royal (Child 76), with which it shares the verse "Who'll rock the cradle?/Who'll sing the song?/Who'll call you honey/When I'm gone?" Since the two songs share no other common elements they are, at best, distant relations. Both Frank Profitt and Clarence Ashley sang songs close in word and tune to Dock's." from song notes.
The use of floating verses and the lack of a theme make the lyrics of Red Rocking Chair/Red Apple Juice/Sugar Baby/Honey Baby songs difficult to understand. The song is a white blues about the difficulties of the male singer’s lover. John Garst once commented that he thought the “Live in the shade, give her every dime I made;” referred to prostitution. The line “Got no use for the red rockin' chair/ red apple juice” is a rejection of the singer’s lover and “red apple juice” is a form of sexual symbolism. To keep the rejection of the lover consistent it would seem the following verse should be:
You'll rock the cradle,
And I'll sing the song.
You'll rock the cradle when I’m gone,
You'll rock the cradle when I’m gone.
With these lyrics the rejection of the singer’s lover is complete. The singer wants to take her back to her Mama next payday, doesn’t want her “red apple juice” or to rock in her “red rocking chair.” He’s “got no honey baby now, got no honey baby now.”
Here are the lyrics to "Honey Babe" from Grover Wilson:
HONEY BABE- Grover Wilson
Grover Wilson of Council VA
Scarborough, Song Catcher in the Southern Mountains
Who’ll rock the cradle,
Who’ll sing the song?
Who’ll call you honey
When I’m gone?
Got no use for a red rocking chair
With the rocker broke off and gone.
Set he in the shade, give her every dime I made,
What else could a poor boy do?
Got no use for your gold watch and chain,
Got no honey baby here.
Who’ll rock the cradle,
Who’ll sing the song?
Who’ll call you honey
When I’m gone?
It’s Mama’ll rock the cradle
It’s Papa will sing the song.
Some other boy will be my honey,
When you’re gone.
Who’s going to shoe them pretty little feet,
And who’s going to glove them hands?
And whose going to kiss your red rosy cheeks,
And whose gong to be your man?
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